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​We got a chance to talk to Eric Clifton, an entrepreneur currently working with his fifth startup, Orison.

Clifton spent a big part of his career working in the residential building and housing business. For example he has worked with energy related technology with regards to buildings, utility and land development. He also started a net zero energy factory for housing companies that were addressing the needs for houses for the people that lost their homes in Hurricane Katrina and in Greensburg, Kansas.

I have always been a problem solver. I see macro level problems and I always had some clarity around how to address or fix those issues. In Cleantech, just watching the shift and the change really is started with demand response. So the mismatch between the utility generation and times of great use and demand was really one of the problems I was trying to solve.

Viveca Hess came to the United States from Sweden when she was 19 years old. She studied and obtained a BA in political science with a minor in Law and Society at UCSD. Fascinated with legal discourse after auditing several law classes she continued on to law school focusing on security regulation and transactional law. Following graduation she worked with the San Diego County Water Authority legal department where she supported general counsel in complex litigation related to water rights and policy.

Working at a public agency is quite different from the private sector, Viveca explains. A public agency does not have the pressure of billable hours because the clients are known. This difference became clear to her when she later began working for an estate planning and transactional law firm. The part she enjoyed most then, and now, is engaging clients, building long-term relationships and trust.

​After nearly 30 years in business the firm where Viveca worked - along with so many others - hit a depression in a downward economy of 2008. Because this firm had no marketing materials or visibility, Viveca at this point initiated and took on the challenge of creating, implementing and managing marketing materials, online platforms and a very purpose-driven marketing map for the firm. With no formal marketing training offered in law school, Viveca hit a learning curve that was steep, while intriguing. Enamored with the new parameters of creative space, content, design and the psychology of online engagement, Viveca's shift away from law began, and a new passion entered.

Emma Henrikson, a Swedish National Golf Team player combines her golfing career with studies in Finance at San Diego State University (SDSU). We got the chance to meet her and talk a little about how it is to be a professional golfer and a Swede in San Diego.

Emma was just 4 years old when she started playing golf with her family. Her brothers inspired her the most but the interest really took off when she began competing. What she likes about the sport is that it is an individual sport and her performance is all up to herself. She also likes that she can be outdoors and practice all day surrounded by beautiful nature, which is perfect here in San Diego.

In high school, she was selected for the future girls national team (up and coming girls national team).

It was encouraging to me. Those who were in the “real” girls national team could go to a lot of camps and competitions and it was a spur for me to become even better.

After two years as the President of Swedish American Chamber Commerce (SACC) in San Diego, Jimmie Berggren is now leaving his position to focus on other projects. We sat down to talk about his time as President and what he is going to focus on in the future.

Jimmie is originally from Helsingborg, Sweden, but came to San Diego early 2013 to establish himself there. During the first year he worked with strategic planning for a small boutique consulting firm that focuses on solving challenges arising from cultural differences within business processes, such as outsourcing, M&A’s or entering a new market. There he met Andreas Fried, the former President at SACC San Diego. Andreas got Jimmie involved as a board member for about six months before he handed over the position as President. Jimmie felt that this was a great opportunity and challenge and saw the need for change within the chamber.

”If I see something that needs to be fixed or improved, especially in the case of an organization, I can not help trying to do just that. So when I got the chance, there was no question about it.”

​Hicham Larhnimi came to San Francisco six years ago on a tennis scholarship and combined this with marketing and communication studies. He later moved to Miami were he currently serve as the Vice President and General Manager of the Swedish American Chamber of Commerce Fort Lauderdale & Palm Beach (SACC-SFL). However, after almost two years at the Chamber he is now resigning to focus on his own projects. Luckily we got a chance to meet him when he came to visit us at our office in San Diego. Together we had an interesting conversation about Florida, SACC-SFL, and his own future projects.

With a strong Swedish presence in the south Florida area, SACC Fort Lauderdale & Palm Beach serve as a center for the Swedish community with a total of 200 members. This makes them one of the biggest Swedish American Chambers of Commerce. Florida attracts many Swedish start-ups because of the great climate, low taxes and the growing start-up scene in Miami and Fort Lauderdale. All this makes the area a perfect spot for Swedish businesses. Other than start-ups SACC-SFL is focusing on the maritime industry, which has a strong foothold in Florida.

SACC - San Diego

The Swedish American Chamber of Commerce in San Diego, founded in 1989, has grown into a thriving network of companies and individuals interested in the commercial and social exchange between Sweden and the Southern California’s San Diego region.

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The Swedish American Chamber of Commerce in San Diego is a thriving network of companies and individuals interested in the commercial and social exchange between Sweden and the Southern California’s San Diego region.﻿